The Pool Guy
Airdate: October 16, 2002
Written by: Hans Beimler
Directed by: Paul Shapiro
Richie Almarez is the pool guy. His entire life has added up to this: "A bad sunburn and a whole lot of debt." Before matters can get worse, he is shot by a man with a gun and awakes from the dream and much to his shock, he has a scar on his body just right where he was shot in his dream.
He needs help but he refuses the suggestions from his beautiful doctor. Before long, he is shot again and before he awakes, he hears: "Wake Up!" He finds himself in his apartment bedroom with his roommate. He explains that his dream was inside of another dream. His rent is still due and later, he is shot again and awakes again to a similar apartment bedroom and his friend is dressed a bit differently every time. At this new job, his new client's wife attempts to seduce him and sure enough, the man that has been shooting him is the husband - his new client! This time, Richie is only beaten by the man who reams his wife: "You only do this because you want to get back at me by screwing anyone. Thank God we don't have a dog."
In his reality, he discovers an invoice for $12,341.92 for dream therapy. Things have just gotten worse and he heads over to the company for answers. While waiting, he is able to slip into one of the labs and there he discovers multiple CD's with his name on them. He plays the video that shows him the news report of the murder of one Mr. Hunt. Richie killed him! Security alarms blare and he is off and running again and once at this car, he is shot again by Mr. Hunt. He awakes and in his apartment, the cops enter and it is Mr. Hunt! He begs for him not shot him: "Please don't shot me again. It hurts. I can't take it anymore."
"No bars. No walls. Only a state of mind where you can't escape from."
Synopsis
Directed by: Paul Shapiro
Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Erik King
Richie Almarez is a hard working pool cleaner. One day, a man in a dark suit approaches him, yelling "Wake up!" and then shoots him in the chest. Immediately after he's shot, Richie wakes up shaking in his bed. He believes that it was all a dream until he discovers that there is a large scar on his chest. Richie visits his doctor who advises him to seek psychiatric help. Suddenly, the man in the dark suit appears again and shoots Richie. Once more, Richie wakes up in his bed and tells his roommate about his apparent dream within a dream. After another terrifying encounter with the man in the dark suit, Richie awakes in a laboratory called Virtuacorp. Confused and angry, Richie demands answers, only to be greeted by the man in the dark suit yet again. This time, however, Richie wakes up in his own bed and finds a bill from the laboratory for $12,000. Unable to differentiate between what is a dream and what is reality, Richie rushes back to Virtuacorp to demand some answers. Richie soon finds himself face to face once more with the man in the dark suit. Ultimately, Richie discovers that he has unknowingly become the test subject for a new type of punishment that sentences criminals to repeatedly relive and suffer for their crimes.
